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Kendrick Lamar is having a moment. The buzz-heavy Compton, California MC, who is the latest protégé of legendary producer Dr. Dre, is set for a huge first week debut as his album Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City is on pace to ring up some impressive figures.

According to HITS Daily Double, Lamar is zeroing in on 200,000 copies, a figure that bolsters the overwhelming critical acclaim surrounding the talented MC. During an interview with Hot 93.7’s DJ Buck, Lamar said he is humbled by all the high praise.

“It’s crazy to know that it started in my own backyard in Compton, small city like that,” Lamar said. “I wrote these songs in my momma’s kitchen. These people [are] singing them like they were right there in that same kitchen, making noodles with me. It’s crazy.”

Lamar then spoke on the pressure to live up to all the hype: “It’s really no pressure because when I first came in the game and started writing, I always wanted to be the best. I never wanted to be number two.”

As for the whole experience of going from underground MC to breaking bread with hip-hop icons, he points to the surreal moment he recorded his first official single “The Recipe” with Dr. Dre.

“This was one of his houses and it was crazy,” Lamar recalled of the session. “The studio wasn’t really a studio. It was just a mic, a computer set up, and a few Beats by Dre [headphones] on your head. He got his regular setup. [The sound] comes out the speakers just like a hundred thousand dollar board.”

Dr. Dre created the beat for the track, and after hearing it, Kendrick’s lyrics came easily. “I got inspired,” he said. “Just when I heard the beat it felt like my city, it felt like where I am from.”